06. Teaching Students with Disabilities in Early Childhood and Childhood

General requirements

The program shall include the following:

(i) human developmental processes and variations,
including but not limited to: the impact of culture, heritage,
socioeconomic level, personal health and safety, nutrition, past or present
abusive or dangerous environment, and factors in the home, school, and
community on studentsí readiness to learn -- and skill in applying that understanding to create a safe and nurturing
learning environment that is free of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs and that
fosters the health and learning of all students, and the development of a sense
of community and respect for one another;

(ii) learning processes, motivation,
communication, and classroom management -- and skill in applying those
understandings to stimulate and sustain student interest, cooperation, and
achievement to each studentís highest level of learning in preparation for
productive work, citizenship in a democracy, and continuing growth;

(iii) means for understanding the
needs of students with disabilities, including at least three semester hours of
study for teachers to develop the skills necessary to provide instruction that
will promote the participation and progress of students with disabilities in
the general education curriculum.† The
three semester hour requirement shall include study in at least the following
areas: the categories of disabilities; identification and remediation of
disabilities; the special education process and state and federal special
education laws and regulations; effective practices for planning and designing
co-teaching and collaboration with peers; individualizing instruction; and
applying positive behavioral supports and interventions to address student and
classroom management needs. When such requirements cannot be completed in three
semester hours, the remaining study requirements may be included in other
courses. This three semester hour requirement may be waived at the discretion
of the commissioner, upon a showing that the program provides adequate
instruction to prepare candidates on understanding the needs of students with
disabilities through other means;

(iv) language acquisition and
literacy development by native English speakers and students who are English
language learners -- and skill in developing the listening, speaking, reading,
and writing skills of all students;

(v) curriculum development,
instructional planning, and multiple research-validated instructional
strategies for teaching students within the full range of abilities -- and
skill in designing and offering differentiated instruction that enhances the
learning of all students in the content area(s) of the certificate;

(vi) uses of technology, including
instructional and assistive technology, in teaching and learning -- and skill
in using technology and teaching students to use technology to acquire
information, communicate, and enhance learning;

(vii) formal and informal methods of
assessing student learning and the means of analyzing oneís own teaching
practice -- and skill in using information gathered through assessment and
analysis to plan or modify instruction, and skill in using various resources to
enhance teaching;

(viii) history, philosophy, and role
of education, the rights and responsibilities of teachers and other
professional staff, students, parents, community members, school
administrators, and others with regard to education, and the importance of
productive relationships and interactions among the school, home, and community
for enhancing student learning -- and skill in fostering effective
relationships and interactions to support student growth and learning,
including skill in resolving conflicts;

(ix)
means to update knowledge and skills in the
subject(s) taught and in pedagogy;

(x) means for identifying and
reporting suspected child abuse and maltreatment, which shall include at least
two clock hours of coursework or training regarding the identification and
reporting of suspected child abuse or maltreatment, in accordance with the
requirements of section 3004 of the Education Law;

(xi) means for instructing students
for the purpose of preventing child abduction, in accordance with Education Law
section 803-a; preventing alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse, in accordance
with Education Law section 804; providing safety education, in accordance with
Education Law section 806; and providing instruction in fire and arson
prevention, in accordance with Education Law section 808; and

(xii) means for the prevention of
and intervention in school violence, in accordance with section 3004 of the
Education Law. This study shall be composed of at least two clock hours of
course work or training that includes, but is not limited to, study in the
warning signs within a developmental and social context that relate to violence
and other troubling behaviors in children; the statutes, regulations and
policies relating to a safe nonviolent school climate; effective classroom
management techniques and other academic supports that promote a nonviolent
school climate and enhance learning; the integration of social and problem
solving skill development for students within the regular curriculum;
intervention techniques designed to address a school violence situation; and
how to participate in an effective school/community referral process for
students exhibiting violent behavior.

Program-Specific
Requirements

Coursework†

The program shall include the following:

(i) historical, social, and legal foundations of
special education, employment and independence for individuals with
disabilities;

(ii) characteristics of learners with disabilities;

(iii) managing behavior of students with disabilities and promoting
development of positive social interaction skills;

(iv) participating in collaborative partnerships for the benefit of students with
disabilities, including family strengthening partnerships;

(v) assessment,
diagnosis, and evaluation of students with disabilities;

(vi) curriculum
development and research-validated methods of instructing students with
disabilities, including methods of teaching reading and mathematics and methods
of enrichment and remediation in reading and mathematics;

(vii) at least six semester hours of study inteaching the
literacy skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing to native English
speakers and students who are English language learners. This six-semester-hour
requirement may be waived upon a showing of good cause satisfactory to the
Commissioner, including but not limited to a showing that the program provides
adequate instruction in language acquisition and literacy development through
other means;

(viii) use of assistive and instructional technology in the teaching of and
learning by students with disabilities;†

†(ix)understanding the needs of students
with autism, including, but not limited to, the etiology, prevalence,
characteristics, and evidence-based instructional methodology for teaching
students with autism, instructional design and supports to promote
communication and socialization skills and skill generalization and
maintenance; positive behavioral supports, functional behavioral assessments
and behavioral intervention plans; collaboration between the home, class,
school and community to ensure that students are supported in the general
education environment; and knowledge of resources such as early childhood
supports, respite care, state agencies, transition services and vocational
rehabilitation services and parent support networks and associations that are
available to support students and families;

(x) planning and managing teaching and learning environments for
individuals with disabilities, including planning for and supporting students
with disabilities in general education settings;

(xi) for
early childhood, processes of social, emotional, cognitive, linguistic,
physical, and aesthetic growth and development in early childhood within
socio-cultural contexts and how to provide learning experiences and conduct
assessments reflecting understanding of those processes; and

(xii) for childhood, processes of growth and development in childhood
and how to provide learning experiences and conduct assessments reflecting
understanding of those processes.

Field experiences, student teaching and practica†

a.Early
childhood

∑The
program shall include at least 100 clock hours of field experiences related to
coursework prior to student teaching or practica and
at least two college-supervised student-teaching experiences of at least 20
schools days each.

∑The
program shall include field experiences and student teaching with students with
disabilities in each of the three early childhood groups, pre-kindergarten,
kindergarten, and grades I through 2, through the combined field experiences
and student teaching experience, and student teaching with at least two of
these three groups.

∑For
candidates holding another classroom teaching certificate or for candidates who
are simultaneously preparing for another classroom teaching certificate and
completing the full field experience for that other certificate, the programs
shall require such candidates to complete at least the equivalent of 50 clock
hours of field experiences and at least 20 days of practica
or student teaching with students with disabilities in early childhood,
including pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1 through 2.

b.Childhood

∑The
program shall include at least 100 clock hours of field experiences related to
coursework prior to student teaching or practica and
at least two college-supervised student-teaching experiences of at least 20
schools days each.

∑The
program shall include field experiences and student teaching with students with
disabilities in both childhood education settings, grades 1 through 3 and
grades 4 through 6.

∑For
candidates holding another classroom teaching certificate or for candidates who
are simultaneously preparing for another classroom teaching certificate and
completing the full field experience for that other certificate, the program shall require such candidates to complete at least the equivalent of 50 clock hours of field experiences and at least 20 days of practica or student teaching with students with disabilities, including grades 1 through 3
and grades 4 through 6.